27-11-2009 (Paris) UNESCO publishes outcome brochure of its conference on broadcast media and climate change
Last September UNESCO, in partnership with UNEP, organized an International Conference on ‘Broadcast Media and Climate Change: A Public Service Remit’. As a result of this event, international and regional broadcasting unions have decided to increase cooperation in order to give media exposure to climate change. UNESCO launches a brochure, A Commitment to Act Now: Broadcast Media and Climate Change, published as an outcome of the Conference.

26-11-2009 (Paris) Maldives decriminalise defamation
The parliament of the Republic of Maldives has decriminalised the defamation laws through amendment of the Penal Code abolishing five articles providing for criminal defamation.

25-11-2009 (London) UNESCO and CBA launch new guidelines for broadcasters
For the first time guidelines have been published on how broadcasters around the world can encourage audiences to produce better-quality user-generated content. The new guidelines will also enable the public to become more media and information literate.

24-11-2009 (Kathmandu) Building Bridges: UNESCO project advances community development in Nepal
UNESCO Office in Kathmandu organized a consultation meeting entitled “Building Bridges: Creating Information Sharing and Expertise Networks among District-Based CLC/CMC”, on 19 and 20 November in Kathmandu, Nepal. Members of local Community Learning Centres (CLC) and Community Multimedia Centres (CMC) met to discuss the feasibility, necessity and usefulness of Building Bridges.

23-11-2009 (Rabat) UNESCO trains Moroccan journalists to report on water
As a follow-up to the UNESCO International Conference on Broadcast Media and Climate Change (Paris, 4-5 September 2009) and ahead of Copenhagen Summit, UNESCO and the Government of Morocco convened training for journalists to strengthen their capacities to report on water and climate change issues.

23-11-2009 (Paris) UNESCO trains Sudanese journalists on election reporting
Twelve Sudanese journalists received one-month training on election reporting under UNESCO’s programme, Joint Media Elections Training. The participants, from both Northern and Southern Sudan, attended two weeks of classroom training – the first one took place in Juba, from 12 to 16 October, and the second one in Khartoum, from 7 to 11 November. The lessons were interspersed with three weeks of mentored joint exercises.

20-11-2009 (New Delhi) National Symposium on Media Education in India starts today in New Delhi
As part of celebrations marking the 64th year of UNESCO’s presence in India, the UNESCO New Delhi Office is conducting a two-day National Symposium on Challenges and Opportunities of Media Education in India. It is being held today and tomorrow at the IGNOU campus in New Delhi.

20-11-2009 (Windhoek) Workshop on gender in media education to take place in Namibia next week
UNESCO organizes a one-day workshop for journalism academics and media practitioners in order to present the findings of the Audit of Gender in Media Education and Training in Namibia. The Audit assessed the situation in two institutions in Namibia, in the framework of a larger audit being conducted in 50 institutions in 14 countries of Southern Africa.

18-11-2009 (Oslo) Press councils from South-East Europe attended annual meeting of AIPCE
Thanks to UNESCO’s support, eight representatives from South-East European countries participated in the annual meeting of Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe (AIPCE), a European network of independent content regulators for press and broadcast media. The Alliance held its 11th annual meeting in Oslo, from 14 to 17 October 2009.

18-11-2009 (Beirut) UNESCO and LPI promote Linux education in Arab region
The Arab Support Centre for Free and Open Source Software, Ma3bar, signed an agreement with LPI-Middle East, an affiliate of the Linux Professional Institute (LPI), to promote the adoption of free and open source software (FOSS) throughout the Arab world. The agreement was signed during the launch of Ma3bar at UNESCO’s Beirut Office on 5 November 2009.

17-11-2009 (Sarajevo) Roundtable discusses media self-regulation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
A national roundtable on media self-regulation took place on 11 November in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, under the theme “Self-regulatory mechanisms in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Experiences and the future”. The roundtable was organized by UNESCO in the framework of its project, Alignment to International Standards in the Media Sector of South-East European Countries, in cooperation with Mediacentar Sarajevo and OSCE.

17-11-2009 (Beirut) UNESCO trains women media professionals from Arab countries
32 women media professionals from the Arab Region attended a training workshop last week in Tunis (Tunisia), which was organized by UNESCO’s Office in Beirut, in cooperation with the Arab Women Organization. The four-day specialised workshop focused on writing for radio and television.

13-11-2009 (Paris) UNESCO contributes to the fourth Internet Governance Forum
UNESCO will participate in the fourth Internet Governance Forum, to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 15 to 18 November 2009, to advocate the principles of freedom of expression and universal access as fundamental elements of the Internet Governance structures.

13-11-2009 (Paris) International Seminar on good practices in community media concluded in Paris this week
The International Community Media Seminar was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, on 11 November 2009, under the theme “Voice and Empowerment through Community Media: Learning from Good Practices, Strategies for Development”. It was jointly organized by UNESCO and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC).

12-11-2009 (Skopje) UNESCO starts series of events under media accountability project
UNESCO started the implementation of its project, Alignment to International Standards in the Media Sector of South-East European Countries, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. On 20 October 2009 the Macedonian capital Skopje hosted the first national roundtable of the project, which aims at encouraging, assisting and accelerating media reforms in the South-East European countries.

12-11-2009 (Bangkok) Bangkok Forum on Power of Peace closes with action plan
The Second Global Forum on the Power of Peace, held in Bangkok from 28 to 30 October 2009, brought together young people, students, representatives of universities, NGO, private sector, and governments from around the world to collaborate in building the Power of Peace Network (PPN).

10-11-2009 (Beirut) Arab FOSS Centre launched in Lebanon
Under the patronage of Lebanese Minister of Education, the Arab Support Centre for Free and Open Source Software, Ma3bar, was officially launched in Beirut on 5 November 2009. The new Centre is the result of cooperation between UNESCO, UNDP-ICTDAR and the University of Balamand. Other leading academic institutions in the region are expected to join the partnership.

10-11-2009 (Brasilia) UNESCO’s Brasilia Office launches study on police blogosphere
An unprecedented study on the increasing use of blogs to publish analysis and comments related to public security has been prepared by the UNESCO Office in Brasilia in cooperation with the Centre for Studies on Public Security and Citizenship (CESeC). Entitled The Police Blogosphere in Brazil: from Shooting to Twitter, the study goes beyond journalistic reporting, and analysis blogs published by security agents themselves.

06-11-2009 (Tokyo) Ethiopian children's TV wins again
The creators of Tsehai Loves Learning win the UNESCO prize for a new literacy-focused programme at the Japan Prize 2009 International Contest for Educational Media.

05-11-2009 (Kathmandu) Training for women journalists ended in Janakpur
UNESCO and the Nepal Press Institute, in a joint collaboration with Sancharika Samua, Media and Democracy Group, OHCHR, UNFPA/WOREC, INHURED International and Article 19, concluded today in Janakpur the second and last phase (25 October – 5 November) of a four-month training course exclusively dedicated to women journalists.